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By 2014, IKEA Group was the largest home furnishing company, with EUR28.5 billion of sales, and planned to reach EUR50 billion by 2020, mainly from emerging markets. At the same time, IKEA Group had adopted in 2012 a new sustainability strategy that focused the company's efforts on its entire value chain from its raw materials sourcing to the lifestyle of its end consumers. The plan especially centered on wood, which represented 60% of IKEA Group's total procurement in volume and constituted a key lever for the company to increase its positive impact on sustainability. IKEA Group Management therefore had to decide how to manage its portfolio of wood sustainability initiatives, especially in the context of the company's aggressive growth plan.

By 2016, SOS Group, the largest social enterprise group in France, was facing new challenges. In November 2015, the group had released its strategic goals for 2020. It aimed to double its turnover and headcount by that time, which would make SOS Group one of the largest social enterprise groups in Europe and in the world. Jean-Marc Borello, founder of the organization, knew SOS Group faced the choices of growing organically or through acquisition across activities, as well as in France or globally. By 2016, SOS Group already operated in 20 countries, and was contemplating entering 10 new countries by 2020. It also considered entering new sectors, such as culture. While Borello thought that aggressive growth was needed in the current context, some within the group wondered if that was the right way for SOS Group to measure and scale its social impact. Compounding these issues, Borello, whose opportunistic acquisition strategy had shaped SOS Group throughout its life, was considering retirement in the coming years. Under these circumstances, how could SOS Group achieve its strategic goals, while keeping its key values intact at a time when its governance would also change?

PFA Pension was the biggest commercial pension provider in Denmark. At the end of 2015, the company had decided to boost its investments into the alternative asset class, an area where it was lagging behind its competitors. The aim was to privilege direct investments and co-investments rather than allocations through funds. One year later, PFA could count on an expert alternative investment team, a defined investment process and a number of successful direct investments. Still, a number of questions remained: How could PFA better access attractive deal opportunities? Should PFA try to build a formal deal sourcing model? What resources and skills would be necessary to add to the alternative investment team?